v

pon a time there were assembled divers alchymists together, and held a counsel how they should make, & prepare the philosophers stone, and they concluded that every one should declare his opinion with a vow. and that meeting was in the open aire, in a certaine meadow, on a faire cleer day. and many agreed that mercury was the first matter thereof, others that sulphur was, and others other things. but the chiefest opinion was of mercury, and that especially because of the sayings of philosophers, because they hold, that mercury is the first true matter of the stone, also of metalls: for philosophers cry out, and say, our mercury, &c. and so whilest they did contend amongst themselves for[pg 60] divers operations (every one gladly expecting a conclusion) there arose in the mean time a very great tempest, with stormes, showers of rain, and an unheard of wind, which dispersed that assembly into divers provinces, every one apart without a conclusion. yet every one of them fancied to himselfe what the conclusion of that dispute should have been. every one therefore set upon his work as before, one in this thing, another in that thing seeking the philosophers stone, and this is done till this day without any giving over. now one of them remembring the disputation, that the philosophers stone is necessarily to be sought after in mercury, said to himself: although there was no conclusion made, yet i wil work in mercury, and will make a conclusion my self in making the blessed stone; for he was a man that was alwaies wont to talk to himselfe, as indeed all alchymists usually doe. hee therefore began to read the books of philosophers, and fell upon a booke of alanus, which treats of mercury; and so that alchymist is made a philosopher, but without any conclusion: and taking mercury he began to work; hee put it into a glass, and put fire to it, the mercury as it is wont to do, vapoured away, the poor silly alchymist not knowing the nature of it, beat his wife, saying: no body could come hither besides thee, thou tookest the mercury out of the glass. his wife crying excuseth her self, and speaks softly to her husband: thou wilt make a sir-reverence of these. the alchymist tooke mercury again, and put it again into his vessell, and lest his wife should take it away, watched it. but the mercury, as its manner is, vapoured away again. the alchymist remembring that the first matter of the[pg 61] philosophers stone must be volatile, rejoiced exceedingly, altogether perswading himselfe that he could not now be deceived, having the first matter: hee began now to work upon mercury boldly, he learned afterwards to sublime it, and to calcine it divers ways, as with salt, sulphur, and metalls, mineralls, bloud, haire, corrosive waters, herbs, urine, vineger, but could find nothing for his purpose; hee left nothing unassayed in the whole world, with which hee did not work upon good mercury withall. but when he could doe no good at all with this, hee fell upon this saying——that it is found in the dung-hill. he began to worke upon mercury with divers sorts of dung, together, and asunder: and when hee was weary, and full of thoughts he fell into a sleep. and in his sleep there appeared to him a vision: there came to him an old man, who saluted him, and said; friend, why art thou sad? hee answered, i would willingly make the philosophers stone. then said he, friend, of what wilt thou make the philosophers stone? alchymista. of mercury, sir. senex. of what mercury? alch. there is but one mercury. sen. it is true, there is but one mercury, but altered variously, according to the variety of places; one is purer then another. alch. o sir, i know how to purifie it very well with vineger and salt, with nitre and vitriall. sen. i tell thee this is not the true purifying of it, neither is this, thus purifyed, the true mercury: wise men have another mercury, and another manner of purifying of it, and so he vanished away. the alchymist being raised from sleep thought with himselfe what vision this should be, as also what this mercury of philosophers should be: hee could[pg 62] bethinke himselfe of no other but the vulgar mercury. but yet hee desired much that hee might have had a longer discourse with the old man: but yet hee worked continually, sometimes in the dung of living creatures, as boyes dung, and sometimes in his own. and every day hee went to the place, where hee saw the vision, that he might speak with the old man again: sometimes hee counterfeited a sleep, and lay with his eyes shut expecting the old man. but when he would not come he thought he was afraid of him, and would not beleeve that he was asleep, he swore therefore saying, my good old master be not afraid, for truly i am asleep; look upon my eyes, see if i be not: and the poor alchymist after so many labours, and the spending of all his goods, now at last fel mad, by alwaies thinking of the old man. and when hee was in that strong imagination, there appeared to him in his sleep a false vision, in the likenesse of the old man, and said to him, doe not despaire, my friend, thy mercury is good, and thy matter, but if it will not obey thee, conjure it, that it bee not volatile; serpents are used to be conjured, and then why not mercury? and so the old man would leave him. but the alchymist asked of him, saying, sir, expect, &c. and by reason of a noise this poore alchymist was raised from sleep, yet not without great comfort. he took then a vessell full of mercury, and began to conjure it divers wayes, as his dream taught him. and hee remembred the words of the old man, in that hee said, serpents are conjured, and mercury is painted with serpents, hee thought, so it must bee conjured as the serpents. and taking a vessell with mercury hee began to say, ux, vx, ostas, &c. and where the[pg 63] name of the serpent should be put, he put the name of mercury, saying: and thou wicked beast mercury, &c. at which words mercury began to laugh, and to speak unto him saying, what wilt thou have, that thou thus troublest mee my master alchymist? alch. o ho, now thou callest me master, when i touch thee to the quick, now i have found where thy bridle is, wait a little, and by and by thou shalt sing my song, and he began to speak to him, as it were angerly, art thou that mercury of philosophers? merc. (as if he were afraid answered) i am mercury, my master. alch. why therefore wilt not thou obey mee? and why could not i fix thee? merc. o my noble master, i beseech thee pardon mee, wretch that i am, i did not know that thou wast so great a philosopher. alch. didst not thou perceive this by my operations, seeing i proceeded so philosophically with thee? merc. so it is, my noble master, although i would hide my selfe, yet i see i cannot from so honourable a master as thou art. alch. now therefore dost thou know a philosopher? merc. yea, my master, i see that your worship is a most excellent philosopher. alch. (being glad at his heart saith) truly now i have found what i sought for. (again he spake to mercury with a most terrible voice:) now go to, be now therefore obedient, or else it shall be the worse for thee. merc. willingly, my master, if i am able, for now i am very weake. alch. why dost thou now excuse thy selfe? merc. i doe not, my master, but i am faint and feeble. alch. what hurts thee? merc. the alchymist hurts mee. alch. what, dost thou still deride mee? merc. o master, no, i speak of the alchymist, but thou art a philosopher. alch. o wel,[pg 64] well, that is true, but what hath the alchymist done? merc. o my master, hee hath done many evill things to mee, for hee hath mixed mee, poor wretch as i am, with things contrary to mee: from whence i shall never bee able to recover my strength, and i am almost dead, for i am tormented almost unto death. alch. o thou deservest those things, for thou art disobedient. merc. i was never disobedient to any philosopher, but it is naturall to mee to deride fools. alch. and what dost thou think of mee? merc. o sir, you are a great man, a very great philosopher, yea greater then hermes himselfe. alch. truly so it is, i am a learned man, but i will not commend my selfe, but my wife also said to mee, that i am a very learned philosopher, she knew so much by me. merc. i am apt to beleeve thee, for philosophers must be so, who by reason of too much wisdome, and pains fall mad. alch. goe to then, tell me therefore what i shall doe with thee; how i shall make the philosophers stone of thee. merc. o my master philosopher, i know not, thou art a philosopher, i am a servant of the philosophers, they make of me what they please, i obey them as much as i am able. alch. thou must tell mee how i must proceed with thee, and how i may make of thee the philosophers stone. merc. if thou knowest, thou shall make it, but if thou knowest not, thou shalt doe nothing, thou shalt know nothing by mee, if thou knowest not already my master philosopher. alch. thou speakest to mee as to some simple man, perhaps thou dost not know that i have worked with princes, and was accounted a philosopher with them. merc. i am apt to beleeve thee my master, for i know all this very wel,[pg 65] i am yet foul, and unclean by reason of those mixtures that thou hast used. alch. therefore tell mee, art thou the mercury of philosophers? merc. i am mercury, but whether or no the philosophers, that belongs to thee to know. alch. do but tell me if thou art the true mercury, or if there be another. merc. i am mercury, but there is another, and so he vanished away. the alchymist cries out and speaks, but no body answers him. and bethinking himselfe saith: surely i am an excellent man, mercury hath been pleased to talke with mee, surely hee loves mee: and then he began to sublime mercury, distil, calcine, make turbith of him, precipitate, and dissolve him divers wayes, and with divers waters, but as hee laboured in vain before, so now also he hath spent his time, and costs to no purpose. wherefore at last hee begins to curse mercury, and revile nature because shee made him. now nature when she heard these things called mercury to her, and said to him: what hast thou done to this man? why doth he curse and revile me for thy sake? why dost not thou doe what thou oughtest to doe? but mercury modestly excuseth himself. yet nature commands him to be obedient to the sons of wisdome, that seek after him. mercury promiseth that he will, and saith: mother nature, but who can satisfie fools? nature went away smiling: but mercury being angry with the alchymist goes also unto his own place. after a few days it came into the alchymists mind, that he omitted something in his operations, and again hee hath recourse to mercury, and now resolves to mix him with hogs dung; but mercury being angry that he had falsly accused him before his mother nature, saith to the[pg 66] alchymist, what wilt thou have of me thou foole? why hast thou thus accused mee? alch. art thou he that i have longed to see? merc. i am, but no man that is blind can see mee. alch. i am not blind. merc. thou art very blind, for thou canst not see thy selfe, how then canst thou see mee? alch. o now thou art proud, i speak civilly to thee, and thou contemnest mee: thou dost not know perhaps that i have worked with many princes, and was esteemed as a philosopher amongst them. merc. fools flock to princes courts, for there they are honoured, and fare better then others. wast thou also at the court? alch. o thou art a devill, and not a good mercury, if thou wilt speak thus to philosophers: for before thou didst also seduce me thus. mer. dost thou know philosophers? alch. i my self am a philosopher. merc. behold our philosopher (smiling said: and began to talke further with him saying) my philosopher, tell mee therefore what thou seekest after, and what thou wilt have, what dost thou desire to make? alch. the philosophers stone. merc. out of what matter therefore wilt thou make it? alch. of our mercury. merc. o my philosopher, now i wil leave you, for i am not yours. alch. o thou art but a devill, and wilt seduce mee. merc. truly my philosopher thou art a devill to mee, not i to thee: for thou dost deale most sordidly with mee, after a devillish manner. alch. o what doe i hear? this certainly is a devill indeed, for i do all things according to the writings of philosophers, and know very well how to work. merc. thou knowest very well, for thou dost more then thou knowest, or readst of: for the philosophers said, that nature is to be mixed with[pg 67] natures; and they command nothing to bee done without nature; but thou dost mix mee with almost all the sordidst things that bee, as dung. alch. i doe nothing besides nature; but i sow seed into its own earth, as the philosophers have said. merc. thou sowest mee in dung, and in time of harvest i do vanish away, and thou art wont to reap dung. alc. yet so the philosophers have wrote, that in the dunghill their matter is to be sought for. merc. it is true what they have written; but thou understandest their letter, and not their sense, and meaning. alch. now happily i see that thou art mercury; but thou wilt not obey mee. and he began to conjure him again, saying, vx vx. but mercury laughing answered, thou shalt doe no good, my friend. alch. they do not speak without ground, when they say thou art of a strange nature, inconstant, and volatile. merc. dost thou say, that i am inconstant, i resolve thee thus, i am constant unto a constant artificer; fixed to him, that is of a fixed mind, but thou, and such as thou art, are inconstant, running from one thing unto another, from one matter unto another. alch. tell me therefore if thou art that mercury, which the philosophers wrote of, which they said was, together with sulphur, and salt the principall of all things, or must i seek after another? mer. truly the fruit doth not fal far from the tree, but i seek not mine own praise, i am the same as i was, but my years are differing. from the beginning i was young, so long as i was alone, but now i am older, yet the same as i was before. alch. now thou pleasest me, because now thou art older: for i alwaies sought after such a one, that was more ripe, and fixed, that i might so much the more easily[pg 68] accord with him. merc. thou dost in vain look after mee in my old age, who didst not know mee in my youth. alch. did not i know thee, who have worked with thee divers wayes, as thou thy selfe hast said? and yet i will not leave off till i have made the philosophers stone. merc. o what a miserable case am i in? what shall i do? i must now be mixed again with dung, and be tormented. o wretch that i am! i beseech thee good master philosopher, doe not mix me so much with hogs dung; for otherwise i shall be undone, for by reason of this stink i am constrained to change my shape. and what wilt thou have mee doe more? am not i tormented sufficiently by thee? doe not i obey thee? doe not i mixe my self with those things thou wilt have me? am i not sublimed? am i not precipitated? am i not made turbith? an amalgama? a past? now what canst thou desire more of me? my body is so scourged, so spit upon, that the very stone would pity me: by vertue of me thou hast milk, flesh, bloud, butter, oyl, water, and which of all the metalls, or mineral can do that which i do alone? and is there no mercy to be had towards me? o what a wretch am i! alc. o ho, it doth not hurt thee, thou art wicked, although thou turnest thy self inside out, yet thou dost not change thy selfe, thou dost but frame to thy selfe a new shape, thou dost alwaies return into thy first forme again. merc. i doe as thou wilt have me, if thou wilt have me be a body, i am a body: if thou will have me be dust, i am dust, i know not how i should abase my self more, then when i am dust, and a shadow. alch. tell mee therefore what thou art in thy center, and i will torment thee no more. merc. now i am constrained[pg 69] to tell from the very foundation. if thou wilt thou maist understand mee: thou seest my shape, and of this thou needest not know further. but because thou askest mee of the center, my center is the most fixed heart of all things, immortall, and penetrating: in that my master rests, but i my selfe am the way, and the passenger, i am a stranger, and yet live at home, i am most faithfull to all my companions, i leave not those that doe accompany mee; i abide with them, i perish with them. i am an immortall body: i die indeed when i am slaine, but i rise againe to judgement before a wise judge. alch. art thou therefore the philosophers stone? merc. my mother is such a one, of her is born artificially one certain thing, but my brother who dwells in the fort, hath in his will what the philosophers desire. alch. art thou old? merc. my mother begat mee, but i am older then my mother. alch. what devill can understand thee, when thou dost not answer to the purpose? thou alwaies speakest riddles. tell mee if thou art that fountain of which bernard lord trevisan writ? merc. i am not the fountaine, but i am the water, the fountaine compasseth mee about. alch. is gold dissolved in thee, when thou art water? merc. whatsoever is with mee i love as a friend; and whatsoever is brought forth with mee, to that i give nourishment, and whatsoever is naked, i cover with my wings. alch. i see it is to no purpose to speak to thee, i ask one thing, and thou answerest another thing: if thou wilt not answer to my question, truly i will goe to work with thee again. merc. o master, i beseech thee be good to me, now i will willingly doe what i know. alch. tell mee[pg 70] therefore if thou art afraid of the fire. merc. i am fire my selfe. alch. and why then dost thou fly from the fire? merc. my spirit, and the spirit of the fire love one another, and whither one goes, the other goes if it can. alch. and whither dost thou goe, when thou ascendest with the fire? merc. know that every stranger bends towards his own countrey, and when he is returned from whence he came, hee is at rest, and alwaies returnes wiser, then he was when he came forth. alch. dost thou come back again sometimes? merc. i doe, but in another forme. alch. i do not understand what this is, nor any thing of the fire. merc. if any one knew the fire of my heart, hee hath seen that fire (a due heat) is my meat: and by how much the longer the spirit of my heart feeds upon fire, it will be so much the fatter, whose death is afterward the life of all things, whatsoever they bee in this kingdome where i am. alch. art thou great? merc. i am thus for example, of a thousand drops i shall be one, out of one i give many thousand drops: and as my body is in thy sight, if thou knowest how to sport with mee, thou maist divide me into as much as thou wilt, and i shall be one again: what then is my spirit (my heart) intrinsecally, which alwaies can bring forth many thousands out of the least part? alch. and how therefore must one deale with thee that thou maist be so? merc. i am fire within, fire is my meat, but the life of the fire is aire, without aire the fire is extinguished; the fire prevails over the aire, wherefore i am not at rest, neither can the crude aire constringe, or bind mee: adde aire to aire, that both may be one, and hold weight, join it to warme fire, and give it time. alch. what shall bee after that?[pg 71] merc. the superfluous shall be taken away, the residue thou shalt burn with fire, put it into water, boyl it, after it is boyled thou shalt give it to the sick by way of physick. alch. thou saist nothing to my questions. i see that thou wilt only delude mee with riddles. wife, bring hither the hogs dung, i will handle that mercury some new wayes, untill hee tell mee how the philosophers stone is to bee made of him. mercury hearing this begins to lament over the alchymist, and goes unto his mother nature: accuseth the ungratefull operator. nature beleeves her son mercury, who tells true, and being moved with anger comes to the alchymist, and calls him; ho thou, where art thou? alchym. who is that, thus calls mee? natura. what dost thou with my son, thou fool thou? why dost thou thus injure him? why dost thou torment him? who is willing to doe thee any good, if thou couldst understand so much. alch. what devill reprehends me, so great a man, and philosopher? nat. o fool ful of pride, the dung of philosophers, i know all philosophers, and wise men, and i love them, for they love me, and doe all things for me at my pleasure, and whither i cannot goe they help me. but you alchymists, of whose order thou also art one, without my knowledg, and consent, doe all things contrary unto me; wherefore it falls out contrary to your expectation. you think that you deal with my sons rationally, but you perfect nothing; and if you will consider rightly, you do not handle them, but they handle you: for you can make nothing of them, neither know you how to do it, but they of you when they please, make fooles. alch. it is not true: i also am a philosopher, and know well[pg 72] how to worke, i have been with more then one prince, and was esteemed a philosopher amongst them, my wife also knows the same, and now also i have a manuscript, which was hid some hundreds of years in an old wall, now i certainly know i shall make the philosophers stone, as also within these few dayes it was revealed to mee in a dreame. o i am wont to have true dreams; wife thou knowest it! natur. thou shalt doe as the rest of thy fellowes have done, who in the beginning know all things, and thinke they are very knowing, but in conclusion know nothing. alch. yet others have made it of thee (if thou art the true nature.) nat. it is true, but only they that knew me, and they are very few. but hee which knowes mee doth not torment my sons; nor disturbe mee, but doth to mee what hee pleaseth, and increaseth my goods, and heals the bodies of my sons. alch. even so do i. natur. thou dost all things contrary to mee, and dost proceed with my sonnes contrary to my will: when thou shouldst revive, thou killest; when fix, thou sublimest; when calcine, thou distillest; especially my most observant sonne mercury, whom thou tormentest with so many corrosive waters, and so many poisonous things. alch. then i will proceed with him sweetly by digestion only. natur. it is well if thou knowest how to doe it, but if not, thou shalt not hurt him, but thy selfe, and expose thy selfe to charges, for it is all one with him, as with a gem, which is mixed with dung, that is alwaies good, and the dung doth not diminish it, although it be cast upon it, for when it is washed, it is the same gemme as it was before. alch. but i would wil[pg 73]lingly know how to make the philosophers stone. natur. therefore doe not handle my son in that fashion: for know, that i have many sonnes, and many daughters, and i am ready at hand to them that seek mee, if they bee worthy of mee. alch. tell me therefore who that mercury is? nat. know that i have but one such sonne, and hee is one of seven, and hee is the first; and hee is all things, who was but one; hee is nothing, and his number is entire; in him are the foure elements, and yet himselfe is no element; he is a spirit, and yet hath a body; he is a man, and yet acts the part of a woman; hee is a child, and yet bears the armes of a man; hee is a beast, and yet hath the wings of a bird; hee is poison, yet cureth the leprosie; he is life, yet kills all things; hee is a king, yet another possesseth his kingdome; hee flyeth from the fire, yet fire is made of him; hee is water, yet wets not; hee is earth, yet hee is sowed; hee is aire, yet lives in water. alch. now i see that i know nothing, but i dare not say so, for then i should lose my reputation, and my neighbors will lay out no more money upon mee, if they should know that i know nothing: yet i will say that i doe certainly know, or else no body will give mee so much as bread: for many of them hope for much good from mee. natur. although thou shouldst put them off a great while, yet what will become of thee at last? and especially if thy neighbours should demand their charges of thee again? alch. i will feed all of them with hope, as much as possibly i can. natur. and then what wilt thou doe at last? alch. i will try many ways privately: if either[pg 74] of them succeed, i will pay them; if not, i will goe into some other far country, and doe the like there. natur. and what will become of thee afterward? alch. ha, ha, ha, there bee many countryes, also many covetous men, to whom i will promise great store of gold, and that in a short time, and so the time shall passe away, till at last either i, or they must die kings, or asses. natur. such philosophers deserve the halter: fie upon thee, make hast and be hanged, and put an end to thy self, and thy philosophy; for by this meanes thou shalt neither deceive mee, thy neighbour, or thy self.